Exercising devices of various kinds have been developed through the years. Many kinds of "fitness programs" have been developed and in recent years these have become quite popular. The programs and associated apparatuses are intended to strengthen various parts of the body. None, however, seems to provide the plurality of exercising movements achieved by the instant invention as will be brought out below.
A search of the U.S. prior patent art was conducted in an effort to locate those devices most pertinent to the invention at hand. That search developed the following patents of interest noting, however, that although the search was intended to develop the most pertinent prior art, no assertion is made that these patents do in fact represent the closest art. The patents developed are:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,081--Touraine; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,214--Coker et al; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,210--Lambert, Jr.; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,913--Brentham; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,465--Allen; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,717--Lambert, Jr.
Touraine discloses an arrangement which appears primarily directed to offering resistance to wrist rotation. An inner ring 10 is located within an outer ring 7 and frictional resistance to rotation of the ring 10 within the ring 7 is offered by adjustable set screws 8 extending through the outer ring 7 and engaging the inner rign 10 via the groove 11.
The Coker et al patent discloses an exercise machine having a plurality of separate and independent lever arms pivotally connected to a frame, each arm being associated with independent stacks of weights which are slidably mounted on the frame with means to secure a selected number of weights in a stack of weights for each associated lever arm.
Lambert, Jr., Pat. No. 4,239,210 discloses a machine for use in exercising the upper arm area by performing what is known as an arm curl. One's arm is extended over a shroud 2 and the hand bar 25 is gripped. The user then moves the device in opposition to weights which are cam actuated so as to provide increasing resistance.
In some respects Brentham and Lambert, Jr. Pat. No. 4,373,717 come closest to providing devices which achieve some of the actions provided for in the instant invention. Both disclose means for resisting rotation of the wrist and rocking (as distinguished from casting) of the wrist; this distinction will be explained below. Brentham has a grip 38 by which rotational exercise of the wrist and forearm is effected and a member 70 by means of which a rocking of the wrist is achieved. In Lambert, Jr. these actions are achieved via the handgrip 1 and handgrips 16 respectively. Each patent discloses various means for increasing the resistance to the particular exercise being effected.
The Allen patent discloses an arm wrestling device which is for use by one person but which simulates arm wrestling between two persons.